Update from Councillor Cathy Curry
Coyote-Human Interactions: The emails regarding coyote-human interactions come in almost daily. Given the high number of incidents, I thought I would remind residents that Facebook reporting does not help police or by-law to track incidents. If you see a coyote you are concerned about, you can report it online or by calling 3-1-1. If a coyote poses an immediate threat or danger to the public, call 9-1-1. I have sent a number of emails directly to the head of the department, the City Manager, and to the mayor’s office. They will be looking at what other steps can be taken to keep residents safe. I continue to advise residents to read the information on the City’s website, report concerning coyote-human interactions and to take steps to keep yourself, your children and your pets safe. One quick piece of advice is to carry a green/black folded garbage bag in your pocket when you are out walking. Pulling it out and filling it with air and waving it around, if you encounter a coyote, will scare the coyote away, the coyote experts tell us.
Snow Removal: I have had many emails on snow removal, as you might imagine. When we receive emails about roads or sidewalks that have not yet been plowed, we send them in to the snow maintenance staff. However, you can report as well through 311. Your reporting through 311 helps snow maintenance staff get accurate data. I will say, however, that when we have multiple snowstorms one after the other, staff do prioritize major roads and, depending on how much snow and how many days in a row we get snow, it sometimes means side streets get less attention. Please be sure to report areas that have not been cleared to 311.
Parking Tickets: I have had a number of emails where people were given parking tickets during the last big snowfall. I felt so badly for these residents who had parked their car(s) on the street in order to shovel their driveways, shovel a parent’s driveway or to visit someone who was sick or needed help. Despite only parking for a few minutes, these residents received parking tickets (sometimes even after the road had been plowed! While I cannot advocate for a fine reversal (against our conflict-of-interest rules), I can suggest that getting notifications of all-city parking bans, in future, may help. Please see below on how to sign up for these notifications.
Navigating the Terry Fox Overpass Lanes: Finally, I continue to get emails where people share their difficulties navigating the Terry Fox overpass given the construction there. People share that at night (and even in the day), it is difficult to tell where the lanes are. I agree! Especially when the pavement is wet and headlights are reflecting older paint lines, it is difficult to see exactly where the lane is. We have talked to the project manager about this and he assures us that they have painted and repainted the lines a number of times. However, with the cold, wet, snowy and salty conditions in this stretch of road, the paint does not stick for long at all. They continue to redo the paint markings, but they tell us that until they get a warmer, dryer, clear stretch of weather, painting and repainting will continue to be on their schedule.